Sunday, December 6, 2015

I've made this recipe 3 times since I first came across it, it is delicious and versatile! You can mix up the veggies to use almost anything you want. Last time I made them, I added some cubed butternut squash. The leftovers are also wonderful, I put the taco filling over lime-cilantro rice.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place first 6 ingredients in a mound on a large baking sheet. In a small bowl, stir together olive oil, canola oil, cumin, 1/2 tsp chili powder and salt and pepper (I used 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, but you can adjust to your taste). Drizzle oil mixture over veggies on baking dish, then toss to evenly coat and spread veggies into an even layer. Bake in preheated oven 10 minutes, then remove from oven and toss (then spread into an even layer again) and return to oven to roast 10 minutes longer (or until they've reached desired doneness).
Near the end of veggies roasting, toss warmed black beans with salt and remaining 1/2 tsp chili powder. Once veggies are done roasting, add black beans along with chopped cilantro and drizzle lime juice over top and toss. Serve warm over tortillas (I preferred corn vs. flour, I tried both. I recommend heating about 1/2 - 3/4 tsp veggie oil slightly over medium heat in a non-stick skillet, add corn tortilla and swirl. Cook until golden brown in spots, then lift, add another 1/2 tsp and repeat). Top with Queso Fresco, sour cream and hot sauce if desired.
*Dice all the veggies about the same size so they all cook evenly, except for the tomatoes (and corn obviously). I diced the tomatoes bigger because they shrink the most since they have a higher water content than the others.

Sunday, August 30, 2015

I have actually made this recipe several times since I first came across it. I have been splitting the baked ziti (well, more accurately, penne or rigatoni since I can never seem to find ziti) between two pans and freezing one. It freezes great! I just leave off the last sprinkle of mozzarella, cover the dish with plastic wrap and press down to keep out air, then add foil on top.

Original source: http://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/12/roasted-vegetable-baked-ziti/

Ingredients
ROASTED VEGETABLES
1 crown broccoli
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
1 medium yellow onion
1 red bell pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
½ tsp dried oregano
PASTA
¾ lb. (12 oz.) uncooked ziti
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg
2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
salt and pepper
1 (24 oz.) jar marinara sauce (or a batch of your favorite recipe)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Chop red pepper into matchsticks or large pieces, slice the onion, cut the squash into quarter rounds, and cut the broccoli into small florets. Toss the vegetables with olive oil and seasonings.
Divide the chopped vegetables between two baking sheets covered in foil. Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until they are soft and slightly charred on the edges. Stir once, half way through roasting.
While the vegetables are roasting, cook the pasta according to the package directions (boil for 7-10 minutes, or until al dente). Once cooked, drain the pasta and return it to the pot with the burner turned off. Add the sauce and toss to coat.
In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, the egg, one cup of the shredded mozzarella, ¼ tsp salt, and a generous amount of freshly cracked pepper. Stir until smooth and even.
Coat an 8x8 inch casserole dish with non-stick spray. Spread ⅓ of the pasta and marinara sauce over the bottom. Layer ½ of the ricotta mixture over the pasta, then ½ of the roasted vegetables. Repeat these three layers, then end with one final layer of pasta and sauce, and the final cup of shredded mozzarella.
Reduce the heat in the oven to 375 degrees and bake the casserole for 30 minutes, or until heated through and the cheese on top is melted and slightly browned on the edges.

Directions
Make the dressing: in a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until agave/honey is incorporated. It should yield about 1/2 cup dressing. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine the beans (rinsed and drained), tomato, corn, red onion, bell pepper, and roughly chopped cilantro.
Add the dressing and toss to combine.
Best if chilled 1 hour (can be longer) before serving.
Stir well before serving, as some of the dressing gathers at the bottom.

Yum! I had this as a side dish to a veggie burger, then mixed the leftovers with quinoa to take for lunches for a few days.